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by lakesinstillness



Series: Buck-Tick Road Trip Fics [2]
Category: BUCK-TICK
Genre: Alternate Universe - America, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Bad Flirting, Bad Jokes, Desperation Play, Eating, Gaming, Non-Sexual Tease and Denial, Road Trips, Starbucks, Stranded, Teasing, i'm probably bad at making up these tags but it makes sense in the fic maybe, really needing to pee, road trip games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-25 16:11:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19749208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lakesinstillness/pseuds/lakesinstillness
Summary: The Buck-Tick members go on a road trip to Walt Disney World. They take two cars, but Atsushi switches between the two cars because he can't decide who he wants to ride with. They also play fun games on the road, but they become much more competitive due to the fact that they're taking two cars. The intense competition combined with Atsushi's constant car-switching create a recipe for disaster.





	1. For License Plates

**Author's Note:**

> After the first road trip AU, I wanted to make another one involving the rest of the B-T members. I came up with a few ideas while speaking with @bucktiick, so thanks to him for some of these ideas! I also based some of it on personal experiences with road trips. In this story their destination is Walt Disney World, and I might add chapters about their vacation later on, but for now it's just the road trip because I don't have that many ideas for a Disney World fic.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the road trip, Atsushi tries to figure out which car to ride in on the way to Walt Disney World. The Buck-Tick members meet at the first stop of the road trip and establish the rules of the road trip game.

Atsushi always found it difficult to sleep the night before a road trip. He always stayed up late, but it was even harder to sleep when he was so filled with excitement. He knew he had to get up early the next morning, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the trip. Not only would he and the other Buck-Tick members be going to Walt Disney World, one of the happiest yet most expensive places on earth, he would also experience the fun of a road trip. When he was only with Imai for the last trip, he had to depend on certain pit stops to prevent boredom, but with all the other members there would be a lot more to do in the car. They were bringing two cars with them, so they could do fun things like see who would get to the stops first or play the license plate game.

One of the questions that kept him up that night was which car he would ride in. Despite them being brothers, Toll and Yutaka were going in two separate cars because Yutaka wanted to ride with Hide. Imai planned on going with Toll, so each car already had two passengers. Like Schrödinger’s cat, Atsushi’s fate in regards to which car he would ride in was uncertain. He knew he would have fun either way, but that made it even harder to decide; if he chose one car, he knew he would be missing out on fun in the other. Ultimately, he decided he would switch cars whenever he felt like it as they made stops, that way he could have a good time with all the members.

Atsushi looked at the clock. “3:37.” Hide was coming to pick him up at 6:30, so he wanted to get up at least 5:45. Despite how late it was, he wasn’t worried about getting up the next morning. He never had trouble getting up for a trip; his anticipation made him wake up just when he needed to.

Except for that morning, when his biological clock decided to not wake him up as it usually did.

Atsushi awoke to the sound of a car honking and his phone ringing. He wanted to check the time first, but the calls from Hide distracted him and he answered. “Sorry!” he exclaimed as he changed out of his pajamas.

“It’s alright,” Hide replied, sighing after. “It’s only 6:25, but I wanted to make sure you were up. From how long it took you to answer and how you just sounded, it looks like that was a good choice.”

“Thanks,” the vocalist answered after yawning. “I’ll be right out.”

“Take your time. We’re stopping for coffee and gas anyway.”

“Good.” Atsushi hung up and rushed getting his bags together despite his bandmate telling him to take his time. Once he had everything together, he left the house, put his bags in Hide’s trunk, and got in the front seat.

The two barely talked on the way to the first rest stop on the I-95, where they were meeting the others. Both of them were tired, and all Hide cared about in that moment was getting coffee. He was glad Atsushi rushed after waking up; before Atsushi answered the phone, he was worried he would have to miss out on coffee so he wouldn’t slow Toll down.

Hide stopped at the first rest stop on the I-95, and went into the gas station first. As they were getting gas, the guitarist decided to finally say something. “So, have you decided who you’re going to ride with?”

Atsushi sighed. “I think I’ll just go back and forth.”

Hide chuckled. “I figured. Well, I won’t be offended if you don’t ride with me and Yutaka.”

“You just want to get rid of me, don’t you?”

“Maybe.” Hide was tired, and having been on road trips with Atsushi and Yutaka before, he knew how draining they could be. They were both fine separately, but when they were together they always played games in the car and were full of energy. So, Hide kind of hoped Atsushi would spend more time with Imai and Toll.

“Well, even if I’m in the other car, I’ll probably be competing with Yutaka in the license plate game.”

“Since when is that a competition?”

“We have two cars, so we’ll see which car finds more.”

“Shouldn’t you ride with Imai and Toll then? I don’t think Imai’s interested in keeping track of license plates.”

“That’s not true! Imai and I always play the license plate game.”

“Really? He said last time you just whined about not getting Cracker Barrel.”

Atsushi jumped. “H-he told you that?” Hide nodded. “Well, it was pretty late at that point, so there weren’t as many cars on the road. And it was dark, so the plates were harder to see. Earlier that day, he seemed interested in what states I was finding, and even helped a little by slowing down or changing lanes when I needed to see a plate.”

Finished getting gas, Hide pulled into the rest stop parking lot. “That’s nice of him. I hope Yutaka doesn’t expect me to do the same.”

The man in the passenger’s seat chuckled as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “That’s good though, because I doubt Toll would do it either. No unfair advantages.”

“Well then maybe I should help Yutaka out. At least when you’re in the other car; I’d rather Yutaka win.” Atsushi wanted to respond to Hide’s teasing, but before he could the younger man said, “Oh, your shirt is backwards by the way. Maybe you should fix that in the bathroom before you meet up with the others. You wouldn’t want them making fun of you, would you?”

Just as Hide expected, Atsushi seemed a little embarrassed when he found out. However, he didn’t seem surprised, and even laughed a little when he looked down and saw Hide was right. “Thanks for telling me. As long as you promise not to leave before I get my coffee, I’ll go fix it.”

“You say it like I have a choice. We can’t just leave you here.”

“I guess you’re right.” Atsushi headed to the bathroom, and Hide met up with the others on the Starbucks line. Toll was ordering, while the other two were at the front of the line. Yutaka waved at him, and he cut the line to get to them.

“Hey, Hide!” Yutaka exclaimed when he saw his bandmate. “Where’s Atsushi?”

“Oh, he decided not to come.”

“Really?” Imai responded.

“No, not really! He’s in the restroom. Damn, I thought Yutaka might not catch on but you, Imai?”

“Listen, I haven’t had my coffee yet.” Just as he said it, Toll finished ordering, and he went to place his order. Atsushi caught up with Hide and Yutaka, and the three ordered and went to wait for their drinks.

“So, Atsushi, are you riding with us?” Imai asked after taking a sip of his cappuccino.

“For now, I think so.”

“Oh, so it sounds like you’re going to keep switching. Why are you coming with us first?”

“Well, you seem tired, and I don’t know how well you’ll keep track of license plates.”

Imai chuckled. “That’s your reasoning? Well thanks, because I was planning on taking a nap once I finished my coffee.”

“Looks like I made the right choice then! I have to make sure we beat Yutaka.”

“How is that even going to work?” Toll asked. “We’re going on the same highway at the same time. Won’t you two see the same cars?”

“You never know!” Yutaka replied, putting his arm around Atsushi. “Sure, the East Coast states will be easy to get, but states like Hawaii are going to be hard to find. If there’s only a few of them on the road, only one of our cars might be near one, and only one person might actually notice one.”

“If anything, that makes it more fun,” Imai chimed in. “If we were on two different highways or driving at different times, it would be up to luck more than anything. But now it will be more up to who has the best attention span and eyesight.”

Hide stared at Imai for a moment before responding. “Did you just say the license plate game is a skill-based game?”

“He’s right,” Atsushi responded, and then turned to his current rival. “So, I heard you got a Nintendo Switch. Video games probably help pass the time on a road trip!”

“Don’t fall for it, Yutaka,” Hide said. “You’ll have plenty of time to play your Switch in the hotel. If you brought your dock, we can all play Mario Kart together then.”

“You’re right, Hide,” the youngest member replied. “If I want to win, I’m going to have to fully commit to it!”

“Wait, so you two are really going to only play the license plate game the entire ride?” Toll asked.

“I was teasing Yutaka earlier, but I don’t really care who wins,” Atsushi answered, “since I’ll be in both cars. I just want to make sure it’s an intense game!” He got his cloud macchiato and the five of them started walking to the cars. “Yutaka, when I go in Hide’s car, you can play your Switch, and I’ll keep track of the license plates.”

“You better not sabotage us!”

“Of course not! I’m really interested in how many license plates we find altogether, although it’s going to be fun to see who wins.” He paused for a moment while he put his suitcase in Toll’s car; he probably wouldn’t keep switching his suitcase, but Toll’s car was bigger and Yutaka needed to fit his bags in Hide’s car, so that seemed like a better idea. “Imai seems more competitive than I was expecting, though. Watch out for him.”

“He may be more competitive, but you’re more passionate. I hope you switch to our car soon!”

“Maybe at the next rest stop. If Imai’s awake by then.”

“Good!”

Once Yuta’s things were in Hide’s car and Atsushi’s were in Toll’s, the two cars left the rest stop. Imai fell asleep before he even finished his coffee, despite Atsushi’s excited yelling whenever he found a new state. Toll tried to ignore Atsushi and focus on the road, and would even turn up the radio in hopes that either Atsushi would catch a hint or Imai would wake up and scold Atsushi. But neither happened; the vocalist was too excited about that silly game, and the guitarist was still sleeping like a baby. However, driving got more bearable once Atsushi got the more common license plates, and there were larger gaps of time between each new discovery.

After about two hours of driving, Hide called Toll. “Hello?”

“Do you guys want to stop?” Toll asked.

“Yeah, Yutaka wants water and I gotta pee.”

Toll suggested a rest stop in Delaware, and they all agreed. Before Toll could wrap up the phone call, Atsushi shouted, “Yutaka! Did you get that Oregon plate?” Imai finally woke up after hearing the man in the backseat shout, and stretched a little before taking a sip of his lukewarm cappuccino.

“What?” Yutaka replied. “You really saw an Oregon one?”

“He wouldn’t shut up about it when he saw it,” Toll replied. “I saw it, too, so you can be sure he wasn’t making it up.”

“Toll, I can’t believe you think I’d cheat in a game as sacred as the license plate game!” Atsushi said, only half-jokingly.

“Sacred?” Imai asked, and turned to Atsushi. “So, how many do you have so far?”

“Sixteen!”

“Ha! I have nineteen!” Yutaka exclaimed.

“Fuck! I just keep seeing the same ones. Good thing I got Oregon, though.”

“Do you have Alaska?”

“Yeah. Those are always easier to get than I expect. I’m guessing you got it too, since you’re asking?

“Yup!” Yutaka sighed. “Atsushi, can you come in our car after we stop? I really want to play my Switch. And maybe take a nap.”

“We’ll see. I might want to take a nap too, so it might be better for me to stay with your brother and Imai.”

“Aw, come on!”

“I said we’ll see!”

“That always means no.”

“Well maybe this time it doesn’t.”

“Hide, see you at the rest stop,” Toll said. He was tired of listening to his younger brother and Atsushi argue over the phone, and figured next time he needed to talk to Hide he would have Imai take the call off speaker.

“Yeah, see you.” Hide hung up, and started changing lanes so he would be ready to get off at the rest stop. “Don’t worry Yutaka, I’ll make sure you get that Oregon license plate. Or another rare one.”

“Thanks, Hide! I might check the cars parked at the rest stop. If the license plate game is as ‘sacred’ to Atsushi as he claims, he won’t check because he’ll be on neutral ground. And I doubt Imai will check.”

“God, what are these rules? Well, whatever. I’ll just make sure we win, or at least we get cooler states than them.” Hide wasn’t really interested in the license plate game, but Atsushi, Yutaka, and Imai turning it into a competition made him more focused on it. He wished Atsushi was spending the whole trip with Imai and Toll, just so he could have the satisfaction of beating him. Beating Imai was still worth it though, so he wanted to help Yutaka win, at least a little, and he was happy to hear that he was currently on the winning team.


	2. For Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Atsushi and Yutaka argue over where to have lunch, the B-T members decide to take a vote. They go to Cracker Barrel for dinner though, and have some intense matches of the peg game. When they head back on the road, they learn why taking two cars wasn't the best idea.

At the Delaware rest stop, Yutaka bought a bottle of water and looked at the license plates on all the parked cars. Despite not deciding which car he would ride in next, Atsushi helped Yutaka, mainly just because he knew the bassist was checking them anyway and he was interested in seeing what plates they would find. The other three went to the restroom right away, and then bought water and snacks. To their disappointment, Atsushi and Yutaka needed to use the restroom as well, so they waited for the two to return. Toll considered just leaving with Imai, since Atsushi’s status in his car was ambiguous, but Imai was looking at some of the license plates while they waited, and Toll didn’t want to force Imai to leave.

When the other two returned from the restroom, they decided to discuss lunch plans. “I think it would be easier if we all went to the same place,” Imai said. “Any suggestions?”

Before Atsushi could answer, Hide replied, “We all know Atsushi wants to go to Cracker Barrel.” The vocalist glared at his younger member. “Am I wrong?”

“As much as I love it,” Toll said, “we always go to Cracker Barrel.”

“I agree,” Yutaka said. “I want to go to Zaxby’s.”

Atsushi sighed. “But I was really excited for Cracker Barrel. It’s a tradition!”

Imai went back to looking at license plates. “Here we go again.”

“You always choose, Atsushi,” Toll explained. “Why not let someone else have a chance?”

“What do you mean I ‘always choose?’ We all love Cracker Barrel!” There was an awkward pause before Atsushi turned to the youngest member. “Yutaka, don’t you want to go to the store?”

Toll thought his younger brother would be persuaded, so he stepped in. “Don’t be swayed by him, Yutaka. Choose whatever you want.”

“You’re just siding with him because he’s your brother!”

“He’s right, Atsushi,” Imai stated. “Yutaka, we’ll have more chances to go to Cracker Barrel on this trip. Don’t listen to him and choose whatever you want.”

“I want to go to Zaxby’s, but to be fair to Atsushi we should have a vote.”

“I agree,” Imai said, looking at Toll and Hide. “So, who is in favor of Cracker Barrel?”

Atsushi and Hide raised their hands. Toll and Imai glared at Hide, who slowly put his hand down. “What? I picked what I was in the mood for.”

Imai was surprised that Hide didn’t catch onto the fact that they were trying to end Atsushi’s reign as the road trip restaurant king, but decided to drop it. “Whatever. Zaxby’s still has a majority.”

The vocalist glared at Imai and Toll. “This is your fault. I’m riding with Hide and Yutaka; they would never do this to me!”

“I’m literally the reason we’re going to Zaxby’s,” Yutaka responded, “but okay I guess.”

The next three hours of the trip were rather uneventful. There was a bit of traffic in Delaware and Maryland, so they were only a few exits shy of Virginia when they stopped for lunch at Zaxby’s. During the trip, Yutaka played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on his Switch, occasionally pausing when Atsushi would excitedly shout out whatever new license plates he found. Around 1PM, Toll called Hide to let him know that the next exit had Zaxby’s, and they went to have lunch.

Despite how upset Atsushi seemed about not getting Cracker Barrel earlier, he suddenly seemed excited to go to Zaxby’s, and thanked Yutaka for the suggestion.

As they were walking into the restaurant, Hide turned to Atsushi. “Now, can you make sure we get Cracker Barrel for dinner?”

“Sure. I’ll go in Toll’s car after this and not shut up about it until dinner time.” He paused. “But right now, all I can think about is what I’m going to have for lunch. I’m so happy we’re at Zaxby’s!”

“Sure you are,” Toll said from behind them. Yutaka and Atsushi jumped because they didn't know he was there.

“Oh hey Toll,” Hide responded.

“No, I really am!” Atsushi exclaimed.

“Then why did you have to cause so much trouble back in Delaware?” Imai asked.

“Was I that bad? I’m sorry.” Atsushi looked up at the menu behind the cashiers. “Anyways. Zaxby’s.”

The five ordered their food, sat at a table, and started eating. For the first time of the trip, Atsushi was rather quiet, focusing on his food and Imai and Yutaka’s discussion about which license plates they found. Hide’s car was still winning, but only by one; Toll’s car had twenty-three while Hide’s had twenty-four. For the first time of the trip, Toll expressed interest in the game, asking what certain license plates looked like and which ones they thought would be hard to find.

Despite Atsushi’s promise to Hide, he ended up taking a nap in Toll’s car. However, Imai had already suggested Cracker Barrel for dinner to Toll, so all five members had an unspoken agreement that they were going there. They stopped twice at rest stops before then, the first time to get gas and the second to use the restroom. They didn’t stop together, though, so Atsushi didn’t have a chance to switch cars again until they got to the Cracker Barrel, which was in the middle of South Carolina.

Atsushi’s stomach growled as Imai parked. “We’re eating first and then checking out the store, right?”

“Yeah,” Toll replied. “I’m super hungry.”

“And Atsushi is going to take forever in that store,” Imai added. “God, it’s going to take so long for us to get to the hotel because Atsushi’s going to be shopping forever.”

“Don’t worry about it; I’m going in Hide’s car. Yutaka hasn’t taken a nap the whole trip, and I don’t want to risk him falling asleep and making this license plate game boring.”

“Good,” Toll responded. “You always get loud when we’re driving at night.”

“Do I?”

“Yes,” Imai and Toll answered in unison.

The three of them walked into the store and looked around a little while they waited for Hide and Yutaka to arrive. Once all five were there, they got a table.

After placing their orders, Atsushi and Yutaka decided to use the restroom. On the way there, Yutaka said to Atsushi, “So, who do you think will get to the hotel first?”

“I’m betting on Toll,” Atsushi responded. By the time they finished in the bathroom, though, the competitive spirit entered the older man. “I guess I’ll have to ride with them, and make sure we beat you and Hide.”

“That won’t happen. I’ve already discussed it with Hide. We’re taking no stops, not even for gas. He said we can get it in the morning.”

“And I’ll make sure Toll does the same thing.”

Once they got back to the table, Yutaka looked down at his phone. “I got him to go with Toll,” he texted Hide. “So as long as we leave the store before Atsushi is done shopping, we’ve got this in the bag!”

“Good job,” Hide wrote back. “This is why you get one peg left in the peg game.”

Yutaka laughed, and Toll and Atsushi looked at him curiously. “Who are you texting?” Toll asked.

“No one important,” he answered, and then played the peg game. He ended the game with only one peg left, as usual.

“Wow, Yutaka!” Atsushi exclaimed. “You must have a really high IQ.”

“Do you have it memorized?” Imai asked.

“No, but Toll does.”

“Can you teach me?” Hide asked the drummer.

“Instead of just stealing it from Toll, why don’t you buy the peg game?” Atsushi asked. “It supports Cracker Barrel, and has a paper with the solution inside!”

“They’re a huge corporation,” Imai replied. “They don’t need Hide’s $3.99 to survive.”

“Maybe I’ll buy it on the way back,” Hide said.

“You should!” Atsushi exclaimed, “Anyways, pass that to me, Yutaka.” The vocalist adjusted the peg game so the top hole was the empty one, and then started playing. “Fuck, I got ignoramous.”

“That’s because you never think before doing it,” Imai replied, taking the peg game from him. “You have to put thought and care into which pegs you want to jump.” He finished with two pegs left, and then started putting the pegs back in for the next person who wanted to play.

“I wish you would put that much thought and care into pegging me.”

“Atsushi, this is a family restaurant.”

“Think about the children,” Toll added while playing the peg game. He still remembered the solution, and ended up with one peg left.

“Yeah, Atsushi,” Hide said, covering Yutaka’s ears teasingly. “Think about the children!” The bassist giggled in response, and shooed Hide’s hands away before Hide continued. “Isn’t it only pegging when it’s a woman though?”

Atsushi took the peg game from Toll and started playing again. “Listen Hide, I saw an opportunity to make a joke and I wasn’t turning it down.” Three pegs in this time.

“That’s valid.”

“But if you knew a woman who was interested in pegging me thoughtfully and carefully, I would consider it.”

Hide covered Yutaka’s ears again. “Jesus Christ Atsushi, the child!”

“Sorry!”

After dinner, the five of them went to the shop. After quickly buying a few things, Hide and Yutaka headed to the parking lot and left. Yutaka was driving now, since Hide had driven for so many hours, but Hide promised to continue playing the license plate game to the best of his ability, although the road was dark and he was tired.

Atsushi hadn’t decided what he wanted to buy yet, but he took a break from looking around to use the restroom.

“I’m surprised they finished shopping so fast,” Imai said to Toll as they headed to the parking lot.

“Maybe the store didn’t live up to Atsushi’s expectations. Can you drive? I’m feeling tired.”

“Sure.” Imai knew he had to focus on the license plate game, but he figured he would notice any license plates that he didn’t have already. As of Cracker Barrel, he was tied with Yutaka, but a few of the states were different, so if both lists were combined, they had thirty-seven so far.

Atsushi got out of the restroom and started looking at things again. He decided to pick out things for all the other members. He planned on just shopping for himself, but little things would remind him of them and he ended up picking out gifts for them. A notebook for Imai, a calendar for Yutaka, a magnet for Hide, and a mug for Toll. He bought himself a calendar and a few knick-knacks as well. He was glad they took two cars, since they had room for all these gifts plus whatever he bought in Disney.

After making his purchases, Atsushi wanted to check the time on his phone, but realized he left it in the car. That didn’t surprise him; he didn’t use his phone for much, and this wasn’t the first time he did that. Fortunately, there was a wall clock in the store, and he realized he had been shopping for a half hour. “Shit!” he said under his breath. “So that’s why Yutaka wanted me to go with Toll!”

Atsushi rushed out of that Old Country Store, and headed to the parking lot. He was worried about what Imai and Toll’s reaction would be. However, instead of the glares he was expecting, he was met with the parking spot Toll parked in earlier being empty. He figured they just moved spots to be closer to the entrance, and went back to the front of the store. Not only was the drummer’s car nowhere to be found, but Hide and Yutaka were gone as well.

And that was when Atsushi realized taking two cars was not a blessing, but a curse.


	3. For Atsushi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hide and Yutaka realize they forgot Atsushi at Cracker Barrel, and decide to hurry back there to rescue him.

On the way to the hotel, Toll fell asleep while Imai drove. When they reached Georgia, he decided to call Yutaka. “I’m going to stop for gas. Do you two want to meet up at a rest stop or are you good?”

Yutaka and Hide were surprised Atsushi didn’t tell Imai about the race, but figured he must have fallen asleep. “Well, we wanted to race you guys to the hotel, but sure,” Yutaka replied. “We’re low too, and I have to pee. Hide made us rush out of Cracker Barrel and back onto the highway, because we wanted to beat you guys.”

“Alright. If it really matters to you, we can race to the hotel after we get gas.” He paused for a moment. “I’m surprised I don’t hear Atsushi yelling about license plates. Did he fall asleep?”

Yutaka and Hide were shocked, and didn’t know how to respond. Finally, Hide built up the courage to say something. “Imai, what do you mean?”

“What?”

“Isn’t… isn’t he with you?”

No, he told me when we got to Cracker Barrel that he was going with you guys so Yutaka would have a chance to sleep.”

Yutaka resisted the temptation to honk the horn in anger. He realized that if he hadn’t gotten Atsushi to switch cars, this wouldn’t have happened. Filled with guilt, he decided to sort this out without Imai and Toll’s help. “Hide, stop joking with them! This is like when you told us Atsushi decided not to come earlier today; you already told this joke! Don’t worry Imai, Atsushi’s fast asleep in the backseat.”

Imai chuckled. “Wow, you’re a good actor, Hide. I was really worried there for a second.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Hide replied. “Anyways, we’re actually really low on gas and Yutaka really needs to pee, so we’re getting off at an exit right now to stop for gas.”

Yutaka got off at an exit, but just so he could get to the other side of the highway. “Hide, we don’t have time to--.”

“Shut up, Yutaka,” Hide mouthed.

“Oh, so you don’t want to meet up with us?”

“Nah, stop whenever you need to! Anyways, we’ll talk to you later. Bye!” Hide hung up before Imai respond. “We really left him at Cracker Barrel!”

“Yeah, we did,” Yutaka replied, “and it’s all my fault!”’

“It’s really Atsushi’s fault. He should’ve told Imai or Toll he was riding with us. I guess he figured we all just wouldn’t leave, or would at least tell him to hurry up. We’re still the reason he decided to switch cars in the first place, though, so we have to hurry up and find him.”

“Should we stop for gas first?”

“Didn’t you just almost blow our cover trying to tell me we don’t have time to stop for gas?”

“But we’re pretty low! You weren’t lying about that part!”

“Listen, Yutaka, we don’t have time. Our friend is stranded at Cracker Barrel.”

“That sounds like his dream scenario though.”

“You’re right, but if Imai and Toll find out or if we’re super late getting back to the hotel, we're just like the bread we’re going to have tomorrow morning.”

“Toast.”

“Yeah, exactly. We have enough gas to make it back to Cracker Barrel. Once we get Atsushi, we’ll stop. Because if they find out at least we’ll have Atsushi with us by then. We can even lie and say we stopped at a rest stop for a really long time because Atsushi got food poisoning or something.”

“Poor Atsushi. What if he gets food poisoning while stranded at Cracker Barrel?”

“I just made the food poisoning thing up, but you have a point. That’s why we gotta save him now, Yutaka! We have to clean up the mess we spilled.”

“Alright, I get it! I’m driving as fast as I can.”

Despite Hide’s claim that they had enough gas, they didn’t, and ended up running out after a half hour of driving north. When Yutaka realized they were running out of gas, he pulled over and called Imai.

“What is it?” Imai asked.

“We’re so sorry!” Yutaka cried.

“What happened?”

“We lied to you during the last phone call.”

“About stopping for gas?”

“Yes.”

“Yutaka, you forgot the most important part,” Hide said.

“Oh, you're right. Imai, we lied about Atsushi!”

Imai had a feeling he would have to turn around, so he got off at the next exit. “Explain yourselves. Now.”

“It’s all my fault!” Yutaka exclaimed. “Basically, I convinced Atsushi to ride in your car and I guess he never told you so we both left without him.”

“Wait,” Toll, who had just woken up, chimed in. “So Atsushi is--.”

“At fucking Cracker Barrel!” Imai shouted, honking the horn. He had just parked at the gas station, so it wasn’t too inappropriate.

“When Hide and I figured it out, we decided to go back and get him, but we ran out of gas, so now we’re pulled over on the side of the I-95 North.”

Fearing Imai and Toll’s reaction, Hide decided to lighten the blow by blaming it on Atsushi as much as possible. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand. Why didn’t he call us?”

Just then, Imai heard Atsushi’s ringtone, and saw that the caller ID read Toll's name. “Because he left his phone in the fucking car,” Imai answered.

“We’re sorry for hiding it from you!” Yutaka cried. “And running out of gas.”

“It’s alright,” Imai responded, too tired to even care at this point. “I’ll bring you enough to get you to a gas station. Then you’re heading to the hotel and I’m picking up Atsushi.”

“Can we even make it to the hotel tonight?” Hide asked.

“Yes,” Toll said. “We can and we will.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Imai replied. “You’ve been sleeping for the last hour and a half.”

“If you want to switch after we pick up Atsushi, we can. Or we can make him drive.”

“The poor man is probably scared out of his mind right now. By the time we get there, Cracker Barrel will be closed. And he has no idea where we even are. He’ll deserve rest.”

“We’re probably more panicked than he is,” Hide said. “Just hurry up and get here. I feel embarrassed pulled over like this, and I’m scared we’ll fall asleep.”

“See ya,” Imai said, and hung up. “Guess we’re heading back to South Carolina.” Toll responded with only a sigh. They stopped to get a can of gas for Yutaka, and then started driving north.

After about an hour of driving, they found Hide’s car. Yutaka was asleep when Imai walked up to the car. "We were sleeping in shifts,” Hide explained while he shook Yutaka awake.

“You make it sound like you’re on a survival show or in a horror movie or something,” Imai said as he handed Hide the gas. “See any interesting license plates?”

“We finally got Oregon,” Yutaka answered. “Hide, can you drive the rest of the way?”

“Sure. See you at the hotel, Imai.”

“Yeah. I’ll call you when we find Atsushi.”

Imai drove for another half hour, and finally made it back to that Cracker Barrel. He worried he would have trouble finding it; so many exits on the I-95 had a Cracker Barrel, and he didn’t remember the exact exit number. Fortunately, he found it with no trouble, and drove into the dark parking lot. “Do you see him?” he asked Toll while looking at the rocking chairs.

“Nope,” Toll answered, his hand resting on the door handle and ready to go out and look for Atsushi.

“I get that it’s closed, but I don’t know where else he would be.”

Suddenly, they heard loud footsteps and banging on the car door. They both screamed, and mentally prepared themselves to die to whatever or whoever must’ve gotten to Atsushi before they could find him. However, once their senses returned to them, they realized it was Atsushi and unlocked the door. “Thank God you’re okay,” Imai said.

“I’m so happy to see you both!” Atsushi cried. “I’m so sorry I forgot to tell you I was riding with you.”

“It’s too late to worry about that now,” Toll replied. “So when did you realize you were stranded?”

“Over two hours ago, or something like that? I had no way of telling the time.”

“What did you do for all that time?”

“I just waited in the rocking chairs until they closed. Then I felt awkward, so I walked around the parking lot.”

“Honestly, either position seems just as awkward,” Imai replied.

“Well, I didn’t have much of a choice! I considered going to McDonald’s, but I figured you guys would come back here. I just didn’t know when you would figure out I wasn’t in either car.”

“Well, we would’ve gotten here earlier, but Hide and Yutaka ran out of gas on the way to get to you.”

“So they’re not even close to the Best Western yet either?” Atsushi checked his phone, and noticed the missed call from Toll and an apology message from Yutaka. “So, do you want me to drive?”

“Are you sure you can? You’ve gone through a lot."

“True, but from the sound of it, so have you two. I’m not tired at all; seeing you two filled me with energy!”

“Okay then.” Imai and Atsushi switched positions in the car, and headed for the hotel.

Toll and Imai were relieved to know Atsushi was safe, but they were both exhausted and frustrated that such a dumb mistake put them three hours behind schedule. It would still be a long time before they reached the Best Western, so they both fell asleep while Atsushi drove.


	4. For Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After finally reaching the hotel, the five members go to bed. The next morning, more shenanigans occur on the way to Disney.

After another couple hours of driving, they finally arrived. Hide, Yutaka, and Toll were sharing a room, so Toll went right up to his room while Imai and Atsushi checked in. When Toll got up to his room, he saw Yutaka and Hide were playing Mario Kart on the room’s TV. “Why aren’t you two asleep?” he asked.

“I slept in the car on the way here,” Yutaka explained, “and Hide said he wasn’t tired.”

“Well, I am tired, and don’t forget we have to drive more tomorrow. We have to get up even earlier than expected, because we have to talk about this.”

“About what?”

“About what happened tonight.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the conjoining room. “Are you playing Mario Kart in there?” Atsushi asked. “Can I join you?”

“Come to bed, Atsushi,” Imai replied through the door.

“Aww, come on! I was stranded at Cracker Barrel and I missed Mario--.”

“Bed. Now.”

“Alright.”

There was silence for a moment, until Hide continued the conversation. “I don’t get what there is to talk about. It’s all Atsushi’s fault for not being clear on what car he was riding in. And constantly switching in the first place. And never carrying his phone.”

Toll sighed. “We’ll talk about it in the morning. For now, everyone needs rest.”

“Alright, then. Yuta--.” Hide looked at the bed and saw the bassist had fallen asleep. He turned off the TV, and then got in bed with Yutaka while Toll went to sleep in the bed next to them.

The next morning, Imai woke Atsushi up early. “Good morning. The shower’s open, if you want to use it.”

The vocalist yawned. “Oh sure. Give me, like, five minutes to fully wake up though.”

“You should hurry up. The others are about to go down for breakfast.”

Imai thought that last word would wake Atsushi up, and he was correct. Atsushi got out of bed and planned out his outfit for the day: just whatever was on top of his suitcase when he opened it. “I’ll get ready as quickly as possible. You can go down for breakfast, if you want.”

“No. Toll and I decided you shouldn’t be left alone until we check in at the resort.”

Atsushi laughed. “I’m 53. You don’t need to treat me like a child.”

“That’s what I thought,” Imai grinned, “up until yesterday.”

“Okay, but you’re only hurting yourself.”

After Atsushi showered and got ready, the two of them headed downstairs for breakfast. Although he took a shower, he was still tired, and all he wanted to do was eat something and fall asleep in the car on the way to Disney.

Before Atsushi could even get to the breakfast hall, Yutaka ran up to him and hugged him. “Atsushi!” he cried. “I’m so glad you’re safe! And I’m so sorry for tricking you into switching cars.”  
“It’s alright. Anyways, do they have a waffle iron?”

“Of course they do! You seem tired, why don’t I make it for you?”

“He’s fine, Yutaka,” Imai responded. “He can make it himself. Besides--.”

“Besides,” Atsushi interrupted, “I love using hotel waffle irons! It’s like the one time you get to feel like you’re cooking away from home. And they always come out better than they do at home despite their waffle iron probably being cheaper than the one I have at home. Probably because they made the batter and have the portions measured out already.”

Imai stared at Atsushi in silence for a moment. “Yeah. That.”

“Oh, okay then!” Yutaka exclaimed. “Let me know if you need anything!”

While the five sat down for breakfast, Toll decided to give them all a lecture about how they need to be more careful on road trips like this. About how they shouldn’t have tricked Atsushi into switching cars when he had already made a decision. About how Atsushi shouldn’t have changed his decision, and about how he has to keep his phone on him at all times. And about how they’re a team and need to communicate properly, especially when they’re taking two separate cars. After Toll’s lecture, Imai told Atsushi that he couldn’t switch cars constantly anymore, that he would stay in one car until they reached Disney, and he could only switch once on the way back. Hide and Atsushi thought the effort Toll and Imai were putting into this lecture was unnecessary, but Yutaka listened to them, at least about making sure Atsushi wasn’t left alone or switching cars too much.

When it came to road trip games, however, Yutaka was feeling just as competitive even after the trouble it caused them. “Now that you two are done, let’s see who can get to Disney first!”

Toll sighed. They had a whole week to have fun in Disney, so he didn’t see the point in seeing who would get there first, but he decided it wasn’t worth arguing with his younger bandmates anymore. “It won’t be much of a challenge, but alright.”

“Sure, you tell yourself that,” Hide replied. “I’ll make sure we get there first. Atsushi, you coming with us?”

Atsushi, still half asleep and focused on his waffles, took a moment to realize he was being spoken to. “Oh. Sure!”

“Well then you better hurry up and finish your food.”

Scared of ending up stranded again, Atsushi started rushing to finish his breakfast, quickly eating the rest of his waffle and not finishing his drink or anything else he had on his plate. “You three don’t have to rush,” Imai said. “I can’t check out until Atsushi’s all packed anyway.”

“Too late!” the vocalist exclaimed before running to the elevator, Yutaka running after him.

Once Atsushi, Yutaka, and Hide had their things together, they headed back on the road. Despite how much they rushed, though, Toll and Imai left around the same time as them.

“So how is the license plate game going?” Atsushi asked.

“Here’s my list!” Yutaka answered, handing him his phone. “I don’t know how the other car is doing though. You can ask them when we get to Disney, I guess.”

“Forty states? There’s no way they’re winning when you have this many!”

“Well, when you’re stuck on the side of the road for an hour, you manage to get a lot. I even got Hide to keep track of them while I was asleep!”

“I saw some new ones in the Cracker Barrel parking lot, but I didn’t know if they counted because I wasn’t in either car. But you got all the ones I found, fortunately.”

“Oh, that’s good!”

After another hour of driving, the group reached Florida, and finally realized there was more to this trip than road trip games and yeehaw restaurants. Atsushi, Yutaka, and Hide ended up discussing all the rides they wanted to go on in Disney, and what the resort would be like. Meanwhile, Toll and Imai discussed reservations they made before the trip and which parks they planned on going to each day.

The road to Orlando was usually exciting to Atsushi. Billboards with different amusement parks were scattered across the highway, and he always looked forward to the moment he could see Cinderella’s castle in the distance. However, after he, Yutaka, and Hide laughed about the Holy Land Experience sign, things became different.

“I have to pee,” Atsushi said. “Hide, can we stop at a gas station or something?”

“You want us to stop now?” Hide asked. “Can’t you hold it until we get to Disney?”

“I’ve been holding it since the hotel.”

“Why didn’t you go then? You heard what Imai said about how he had to wait for you to be ready anyway.”

“I was rushing! Plus, I was scared you guys would forget me again.”

“Aww, Atsushi, we didn’t forget you!” Yutaka exclaimed.

“We forgot him,” Hide said.

“No we didn’t! We just got confused. That’s all!”

“Either way,” Atsushi replied, “I was worried I would end up stranded at that hotel like some child’s toy that fell under the bed.”

“Well that’s certainly one way of putting it,” Hide said, “but we can’t stop. We need to get there first. Besides, we’re so excited to get to Disney! Don’t you just want to get there already?”

“I want to get there already, but I really need to pee.”

Hide picked up his empty Starbucks cup from the morning before and shook it before handing it to Atsushi. “If you really ‘need’ to, piss in here.”

“I can’t do that! What kind of person do you think I am?”

“A person who really needs to pee. That’s what you called yourself, anyway.”

“Fine. I’ll just hold it until we get to Disney.” Although Atsushi decided to hold it, he worried about how much longer he could. The pain in his bladder already felt unbearable, and he was getting older. He just had to hope he could bear it until they got to the resort.

At first, Hide dropped it, deciding instead to focus on the road. That was until he could see Atsushi was getting frustrated. Every time Yutaka pointed out a new billboard, or asked Hide about a license plate in the distance, he could see Atsushi squeeze his leg or the empty Starbucks cup through the rearview mirror. So, he decided to tease the older man. “Atsushi, do you think the resort has a nice fountain?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think I saw some fountains in the pictures online. Why?”

“Do you think they’re spraying a lot of water?”

Atsushi sighed. “Hide, why are you asking these questions?”

“It’s too bad we’re not arriving at sunset. I bet the light shining on the water makes it look golden. Don’t you agree, Yutaka?”

Yutaka caught on, and decided to join Hide in teasing Atsushi. “Yeah! That would look really pretty. Anyways, I’m getting really thirsty. Usually Disney resorts have water to drink while you’re checking in. I hope they have that here. That would be so refreshing. Don’t you want something to drink, Atsushi?”

“Absolutely not! And can you two cut it out? All this water talk, it’s--.”

“You know how Disney parks have a lot of snacks?” Hide continued. While Hide spoke, Yutaka found a video of water pouring sounds on YouTube, and pressed play.“I wonder if they have anything with watermelon. I could really go for some. Also, nice video choice, Yutaka!"

“Thanks!” Yutaka exclaimed. “Also, what is the weather going to be like today? Any rain?”

“I don’t know. But knowing what Florida’s climate is like, there will probably be a few afternoon showers. Maybe we should buy some ponchos so we don’t get wet.”

“Ponchos are for cowards! We can handle getting a little wet.”

“True. Besides, we’ll get soaked on the water rides anyway.”

Atsushi let out a pained moan. “Stop it, or you two are going to get soaked before we even get to the water rides.”

The grin on Yutaka’s face has disappeared at this point, and he didn’t respond. Hide continued, however: “I gave you the cup for a reason.”

“I’m not going to piss in the fucking cup.”

“Well that would be better than pissing on us. And on my car. If you do that, you’re paying for it to be cleaned.”

“I can hold it!”

“I sure hope so.”

“As long as you stop teasing me."

“I’ll stop for now, but only because I can’t think of anything else.”

The three reached the entrance for Walt Disney World, and their excitement rose. However, neither Atsushi nor Yutaka said anything. On previous trips, they started getting excited over everything they could see in the distance, and looked for the exit for their resort. However, this time they were both silent.

Hide was silent too, until he saw that the sprinklers were on, watering the grass on the side of the road. “Oh, Atsushi, look at those sprinklers.”

Atsushi realized begging Hide to stop wasn't working, so he decided to stop being as responsive. “Shut up.”

“That grass must be so wet, don’t you think?”

“I guess so.”

Although Hide was getting bored now that Atsushi was quieter, he could tell his teasing was still affecting the vocalist, who was sulking with his arms crossed. “Oh, look at that lake over there! I wonder if there are any alligators swimming in it.”

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you.”

“Come on Atsushi. Have some fun! We’ll be at the hotel soon; there aren’t even places for us to stop now.”

“Whatever. I--."

"--I think you meant to say WATever."

"As I was saying, I can hold it the rest of the way."

Hide was out of ideas, but he wanted to continue teasing Atsushi, so he decided to use any water word he could. “Water. Watermelon. Waterfalls. Sprinklers.”

“Shut up!”

“Showers. Waterbeds. Water bottles. Water fountain. Water.”

“Please, Hide! Stop!”

“I thought you could hold it the rest of the way. Anyways, are you excited to go in the resort’s swimming pool?”

“Stop it.”

“I asked you a question. It’s rude not to answer. Are you excited to go in the swimming pool?”

Atsushi decided to answer, hoping it would shut him up. “Yes. After I pee.”

“I wonder if they have a heater. They must; it’s Disney, after all. It’s probably still refreshing though, even if it’s warm.”

“I am begging you to stop.”

“No. Do you think it has a water slide?”

Atsushi considered ignoring Hide, but he figured answering his questions would distract him, at least a little, from how badly he needed to piss. “I already saw online that it does.”

“Speaking of water slides, do you want to go to the water parks? Imai always says they’re a waste of time, but we can check them out if you want to. What are the water parks called again, Atsushi? I know you know.”

“You know them too.”

“I forgot. Can you please tell me what the water parks are called?”

“Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.”

“Sounds refreshing.”

“You knew them already, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to hear you say it.”

Atsushi moaned for what must have been the tenth time since Hide started teasing him. “Please, Hide, stop.”

Hide saw the sign for their hotel and turned right as it told him to. “Alright. We’re almost there, anyway.”

As soon as Hide parked Yutaka unbuckled his seatbelt and ran out of the car. “Thank God we’re here,” Atsushi said. “Where did he go?”

“Oh no,” Hide replied. “I bet he had to pee too.”

“Oh. Good job, Hide.”

“Poor Yutaka. I must have been torturing him.”

“Hey! How come you only care when it’s him?”

“Listen. You’re more fun to tease.”

Yutaka ran into the hotel lobby and past Imai and Toll. “Oh hey Yutaka,” Toll said, but before he knew it, his younger brother was gone. “Where did he go?”

“I thought he came in here to see if they won,” Imai replied. “Guess not.”

Imai and Toll looked up to see Atsushi and Hide walking towards them, but Atsushi soon ran off in the same direction as Yutaka. They waved Hide over, however, and he didn’t run away from them like the other two. “So we still lost.”

“What do you mean, ‘still?’” Imai asked.

“Atsushi really needed to pee. Yutaka too, apparently.”

“And you didn’t stop?” Toll replied.

“Well, Yutaka and I really wanted to beat you guys.”

“I don’t get how we stopped for gas and still beat you though,” Imai said.

“Fuck! Are you kidding me?”

“No. We needed gas, so we stopped once we reached Florida,” Toll explained. “Guess you just suck at driving.”

“Apparently. How many states do you guys have?”

“Forty-one,” Imai answered.

“We won by one state then!”

“I thought you didn’t care about the license plate game.”

“I didn’t, but Yutaka really got me into it.”

“I got Toll into it too.” Toll stared at Imai blankly. “Well. Almost.”

Finally at their destination, Imai was both exhausted and relieved. Being in a car for that many hours with other people was draining. The games Atsushi and Yutaka came up with made things interesting, of course, but this time Imai worried it had been too interesting, considering how Atsushi’s disappearance made him lose three hours of sleep that night. But now they were in Disney, one of the happiest albeit most expensive places on earth, and once Atsushi and Yutaka returned from the bathroom they could relax and have fun in ways that hopefully wouldn’t lead to anyone getting stranded somewhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my first multi-chaptered fic is finally done! It wasn't meant to be multi-chaptered, but it turned out long so it is. This was a lot of fun and while I personally prefer the original, this really made me remember a lot of things I like about road trips and made me really want to go on one even though I know they're not as fun as I made them out to be. Thanks to everyone who read this and thanks again to @bucktiick for listening to my ideas for this. I hope this was as much fun for you to read as it was for me to write! (Also, chapter 4 was based on a combination of experiences of two relatives of mine lol)


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